A graduated regimen of clomiphene citrate: its correlation to glycogen content of the endometrium and serum levels of estradiol and progesterone in infertile patients at the midluteal phase.

ABSTRACT

The glycogen content, glycogen synthetase level, and glycogen phosphorylase level were studied in endometrial samples obtained from 14 infertile patients during the midluteal phase before and after clomiphene citrate (Clomid, Shionogi & Company, Ltd., Osaka, Japan) treatment, simultaneously with measurement of the serum concentrations of estradiol and progesterone. Increase in the endometrial glycogen content in the clomiphene cycle was accompanied by a corresponding increase of the dosage of clomiphene. Also, the midluteal concentrations of estradiol and progesterone in the clomiphene cycle were significantly higher (P less than 0.005 and P less than 0.005, respectively) than those in the nontreatment cycle. Clomiphene therapy at 50 mg/day resulted in pregnancy in three of ten patients, while clomiphene at 100 mg/day resulted in pregnancy in three of six patients. These results suggest a fair correlation between the dosage of clomiphene and the improvement of endometrial function in infertile patients following stimulated ovarian steroidogenesis.